SAN DIEGO -- The Padres' first roster move this season certainly didn't rate as surprising by any means, as center fielder Jim Edmonds was activated from the 15-day disabled list before Saturday's game against the Dodgers at PETCO Park.

To make room for Edmonds, outfielder Jody Gerut, who had six at-bats over four games, was optioned to Triple-A Portland.
Edmonds, who was acquired in December from the Cardinals, was in the starting lineup Saturday against Dodgers starter Brad Penny, playing center field and batting fifth in the lineup.
"I'm looking forward to watching Jimmy play. He was very excited to become a Padre. I know he was looking forward to this," Padres manager Bud Black said before the game. "He was very disappointed to have suffered the injury on March 6. He's ready to make his contribution."
Edmonds strained his right calf in a Cactus League game in Arizona breaking from the batter's box. He didn't appear in another Spring Training game, though he played the last two days for the Padres' Class A affiliate in Lake Elsinore.
The 37-year-old Edmonds went 2-for-6 over the two games, with the two hits coming in Friday's game.
The decision to option Gerut to the Minor Leagues made the most sense since he was the only bench player with Minor League options, as Justin Huber, Callix Crabbe and Paul McAnulty couldn't be sent out without risking losing them.
Black said one of the options that was discussed briefly was going with 11 pitchers, as the Padres have two off-days over the next 10 days.
"It was a thought, but I think you've noticed how these first five games have gone," Black said. "We have had two pitchers [who have] thrown three days in a day, Cla [Meredith] and Hoffy [Trevor Hoffman], Joe [Thatcher] threw three out of the first five, Heath Bell has thrown three out of the first five.
"To maintain the overall potential strength of our Major League club, this was probably the move to make."
As for Gerut, who had one hit in six at-bats, he'll get regular playing time with Portland, something that all agree would be best for the 30-year-old who has missed most of the last two seasons with injuries. "He's going to play. He missed a lot of time," Black said. "He played a lot in the winter, but now it's time to play a lot here. He had a great Spring Training. As I told him, it's a very long season and it's going to take more than 25 guys. He realized what's going on."

SAN DIEGO -- Jake Peavy lost his bid for a shutout Saturday on a play so strange that the official rulebook had to be consulted.

In the fourth inning at PETCO Park and with Rafael Furcal standing on third base after a leadoff triple, catcher Russell Martin lifted a popup that drifted into foul territory toward the Padres dugout.
San Diego catcher Josh Bard gave chase and made a sliding catch just before tumbling into the dugout. Bard regained his feet and ran out of the dugout to make sure Furcal didn't try to score from third.
But that's what happened anyway as, after a meeting of the umpires, Furcal was awarded home. Baseball's official rules state in Rule 7.04(c) that if "a fielder, after having made a legal catch, falls into dugout or any other out-of-play area in possession of the ball ... the ball is dead and each runner shall advance one base without liability to be put out." After Furcal was awarded home, San Diego manager Bud Black had a brief discussion with plate umpire Jim Joyce before play resumed with San Diego leading, 4-1.
___________________________________________________
When this happened, I was like WTF?

I guess because Josh sacrificed his body to catch this foul pop, the reward he gets is the Dodgers get a run.
Next time, seems the only alternative is to let it drop.:icon_shrug:

SAN DIEGO -- Jake Peavy allowed one run in a complete-game effort and the Padres made a four-run first inning hold up as they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-1, on Saturday at PETCO Park.

Peavy allowed two hits, both in the fourth inning, and struck out eight with one walk.

The Padres (4-2) scored four runs on six hits in the first inning off Dodgers starter Brad Penny (1-1), as with one out Tadahito Iguchi, Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Jim Edmonds and Khalil Greene reached on consecutive singles.

Kouzmanoff drove in a run in the inning as did Greene, Scott Hairston with a sacrifice fly and Josh Bard on the sixth and final hit of the inning.

Peavy (2-0) lost his bid for a shutout on a weird play in the fourth inning as, after Rafael Furcal tripled, Bard slid into the Padres' dugout to catch Russell Martin's popup. Furcal was awarded home after the umpires, citing Rule 7.04(c), said that because Bard made the catch and fell into the dugout that the ball is dead and baserunners are awarded one base.
Penny settled down after the first inning. All told, he allowed four runs on 10 hits in six innings as the Dodgers fell to 3-2. <!-- San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the save, his third of the season and the 527th of his career. -->

SAN DIEGO -- Jake Peavy allowed one run in a complete-game effort and the Padres made a four-run first inning hold up as they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-1, on Saturday at PETCO Park.

Peavy allowed two hits, both in the fourth inning, and struck out eight with one walk.

The Padres (4-2) scored four runs on six hits in the first inning off Dodgers starter Brad Penny (1-1), as with one out Tadahito Iguchi, Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Jim Edmonds and Khalil Greene reached on consecutive singles.

Kouzmanoff drove in a run in the inning as did Greene, Scott Hairston with a sacrifice fly and Josh Bard on the sixth and final hit of the inning.

Peavy (2-0) lost his bid for a shutout on a weird play in the fourth inning as, after Rafael Furcal tripled, Bard slid into the Padres' dugout to catch Russell Martin's popup. Furcal was awarded home after the umpires, citing Rule 7.04(c), said that because Bard made the catch and fell into the dugout that the ball is dead and baserunners are awarded one base.
Penny settled down after the first inning. All told, he allowed four runs on 10 hits in six innings as the Dodgers fell to 3-2. <!-- San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the save, his third of the season and the 527th of his career. -->

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That was a really weird play.

Tomorrow Chris Young on the mound & (thanks to a client of mine) I'll be at Petco watching the game from a suite in the Western Metal Building. :icon_banana:

Chris Young, who gets the start Sunday for the Padres against the Dodgers, took his first start last week as just that, a first start.

"It was not midseason form but it wasn't horrible either," said Young. "At times I threw good pitches. I'm not going to be satisfied with that outing."

Young walked five Astros over 5 2/3 innings, allowing five hits with three strikeouts. The lone run he allowed was actually the result of reliever Joe Thatcher walking in a run in the sixth inning after Young loaded the bases with two hits and a walk.

"There's a lot of room for improvement," Young said.

Still, Young won his first game since last July, when an oblique strain sidelined him. A lower-back strain followed, the result of overcompensating for the oblique, and Young was never the pitcher he was in the first half of the season.

But Young's injury issues are in his past, as he's fully recovered from both injuries. He worked hard in the offseason to strengthen his core and even did pilates.

Pitching matchup
SD: RHP Chris Young (1-0, 1.59 ERA)
For his career, Young is 1-2 with a 2.98 ERA in eight starts against the Dodgers. He was 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA in three starts against Los Angeles last season.

LAD: RHP Derek Lowe (0-0, 3.00 ERA)
Lowe makes his second start of the season after facing the Giants on Tuesday. Last year, he allowed the Padres seven runs over 11 1/3 innings in two starts and is 3-3 with a 3.09 ERA lifetime against San Diego. He was particularly unlucky last year, as his teammates scored only 30 runs in his 14 losses.

Tidbits
There's a chance, manager Bud Black said Saturday, that utilityman Callix Crabbe could get a start somewhere in the infield Sunday, the final game of the three-game series against the Dodgers. Crabbe would likely get a start at second base or shortstop, where Tadahito Iguchi and Khalil Greene have started every game this season. ... Left-handed pitcher Shawn Estes, who is with Triple-A Portland, opened the season Friday by throwing six shutout innings against Fresno. ... Yet another Padres pitcher had a big night Friday, as San Antonio left-hander Will Inman, acquired in the trade last year for Scott Linebrink, allowed three hits over five scoreless innings. ... Black isn't too concerned about Thatcher's mechanics, even after the left-hander walked three batters in one-third of an inning in Friday's 7-1 loss to the Dodgers. "Joe's delivery is such where it's a little deceptive. The release point isn't as consistent as it needs to be. I think it's an easy mental thought to get back on track."

SAN FRANCISCO -- By the time Padres outfielder Scott Hairston put the squeeze on the final out of Monday's 8-4 victory over the Giants at AT&T Park, catcher Michael Barrett was on a flight back to San Diego to have an MRI on his right elbow.

Barrett, who started the game, left in the sixth inning with what the team called a right elbow strain. The extent of the strain won't be known until Tuesday when he will undergo an MRI in San Diego.

Barrett will be placed on the disabled list Tuesday, and catcher Colt Morton, currently with Double-A San Antonio, will be recalled to take his place on the roster.

"He's certainly in a lot of pain. It's in an area that's not a good area; it's around the nerve, which bears some concern," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. "Until we know if it's short term or long term, we're not going to panic just yet."

The Padres were unable to pinpoint the exact cause of Barrett's injury Monday, though it's believe to have occurred while he made a throw back to pitcher Greg Maddux or a throw to second base between innings.

Towers said Barrett admitted that his shoulder felt tight before the game, which might have affected how he threw the ball during the game.

The Padres first noticed something was wrong with Barrett in the fourth inning when he went to the mound to talk with Maddux with one out in the inning. San Diego manager Bud Black and assistant trainer Paul Navarro then joined the two.
"He mentioned that on the third previous pitch, he felt a tingling sensation in his fingers and a spasm in his forearm a little bit," Black said.

Barrett made two practice throws to third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and remained in the game. He grounded into a double play to end the fifth inning and was then replaced on defense by Josh Bard to start the sixth inning.

Barrett was administered a series of tests between innings by the Giants training staff. That's when he complained of pain in his elbow. That was enough for the Padres, who sent Barrett back to San Diego to meet with team doctors.

"He couldn't throw it back to me. ... I knew something was wrong when it bounced," Maddux said. "I hope he's all right. [He's a] good dude, good catcher. We need him."

For now, the Padres will go with Bard at catcher with Morton backing him up. Justin Huber, an outfielder, is a former Minor League catcher and could certainly play the position in a pinch. "We'll keep our fingers crossed that he just aggravated the nerve and there's no damage to the ligament," Towers said.

SAN FRANCISCO -- It was a vexing first inning for Greg Maddux on Monday, as career victory No. 348 appeared no closer to reality than ever after allowing one run on two hits and two walks all while pursuing three measly outs.

But as Maddux made his way to the visiting dugout at AT&T Park after that first inning, he didn't fling his glove in disgust or let loose with a steady stream of obscenities for everyone to hear.
He simply got better, which is why, in large part, the Padres were able to open a six-game road trip with an 8-4 victory over the Giants, thus spoiling the home opener for a sellout crowd of 42,861.

The Padres' offense, which came up with eight runs on 13 hits, four by Adrian Gonzalez, certainly played a role in the victory, though it was Maddux (1-0) who provided a calming effect to the game, retiring 19 of the last 20 hitters he faced.

"I had no groove to find," Maddux told a reporter after being asked about the way that he settled down. "Just a shaky first. Maybe I was overdoing it a little bit. I tried to slow it down."
Whatever it was, it certainly worked well for the Padres (5-3), who are in a stretch of 15 consecutive games against their National League West brethren.

As for Maddux, who struck out five and walked just those two batters in the first over seven innings, it was, if nothing else, a lesson in humility and patience, two things that he has encountered often during a career that began in 1986.

"Early in the game, uncharacteristic," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He was a little command-shy, which is not like Greg. The middle part of the game, he regrouped and started making his pitches.

"Pitchers will tell you that 34 starts, how often do they feel great every start? Three hits, one run through seven innings? It shows the competitor. Mentally, he doesn't cave in if he doesn't feel good or if he's a little off. Some guys don't fight through that. He does."

Maddux retired Jose Castillo on a ground ball to end the first inning and then proceeded to mow through the Giants (1-6) in methodical fashion, though that's not entirely all too surprising considering he's 7-1 with a 2.52 ERA in starts at AT&T Park.
Maddux retired the Giants in order in the second and third innings. In the fourth inning, he allowed a hit to Castillo on a do-or-die play by a hard-charging Khalil Greene as the ball snuck under his glove.

He then retired the next 12 batters he faced before giving way to reliever Cla Meredith in the eighth inning. All told, Maddux got 14 ground-ball outs and didn't get a fly-ball out until the seventh inning.

"He gets easy outs, quick outs and keeps us in the game," Gonzalez said after the game.
San Francisco starting pitcher Matt Cain (0-1) didn't have many easy outs, not after he needed 96 pitches to get 13 outs. Control was an issue for Cain, as he walked five and allowed seven hits and four earned runs.

After Tadahito Iguchi doubled with one out in the first inning, Gonzalez hit his second home run of the season the other way to left-center field for a 2-1 lead.

"We wanted to work the count deep so we could get him out of the game early. He was leaving his off-speed stuff up," Gonzalez said of Cain.

Gonzalez was in the middle of a big inning in the third as Cain allowed four hits to start the inning. Jim Edmonds had an RBI single in the inning and Greene knocked in another run with a sacrifice fly. A third run came in when Hairston reached on an error.

"It's always good to get a few runs early," Hairston said. "We had a lot of good at-bats early on."

The only real downer for the Padres was the loss of catcher Michael Barrett, who left the game with a strained right elbow. Barrett will have an MRI on Tuesday in San Diego to determine the severity of the injury.
Regardless of what is discovered about Barrett's elbow, he's headed to the disabled list Tuesday as Colt Morton will be promoted from Double-A San Antonio.

The Padres liked what they saw from left-hander Randy Wolf in his Padres debut Thursday and, really, why wouldn't they?

After all, Wolf -- who signed a one-year deal in the offseason to pitch for San Diego -- allowed one run over six innings against the Astros, walking two with five strikeouts.

Wolf himself was just happy to be back out on a mound in a Major League game, even if he earned a no-decision as several deep counts on hitters drove up his pitch count.

"There were tough at-bats and I threw a lot of pitches in those two at-bats," said Wolf, who was making his first start since July 3, his final start with the Dodgers before having season-ending shoulder surgery.

"It was fun to be out there healthy and compete again. I think that you always want to make a good first impression."

The Padres certainly feel strong enough about the first three pitchers in their starting rotation -- Jake Peavy, Chris Young and Greg Maddux. Getting quality innings from their No. 4 starter is something the team missed last season when a handful of pitchers filled that role.

Pitching matchup
SD: LHP Randy Wolf (0-0, 1.50 ERA)
Wolf, who confessed early in March his distaste for Spring Training, struggled in Cactus League play but sharpened his mechanics late that helped him with his command. He walked two batters in his first start against the Astros and had five strikeouts. Wolf, who allowed one run over six innings, needed seven pitches to get through the fourth inning in that game, as his changeup moved well in the cool air.

SF: RHP Tim Lincecum (1-0, 2.25 ERA)
Lincecum got rained out of his last start at Los Angeles -- sort of. Reports of inclement weather caused Lincecum to be scratched, since it appeared that the storms would strike in the early innings and manager Bruce Bochy didn't want to waste a start by the 23-year-old. As it turned out, Lincecum pitched anyway, working four innings of relief and scoring the tiebreaking run in the Giants' first victory of the season.

Tidbits
Heading into Monday's game against the Giants, Padres starting pitchers had combined to go 3-0 with a 1.54 ERA over the first seven games of the season. Opposing hitters were hitting just .169 against them over that span. ... The Padres are in a stretch were they'll play 15 consecutive games against teams from the National League West. ... Leadoff hitter Brian Giles is four RBIs shy of 1,000 for his career. ... Wade LeBlanc, one of the top pitchers in the Padres' Minor League system, got the start Monday night for Triple-A Portland against Sacramento. ... Pitcher Mark Prior threw batting practice Monday in Arizona. Manager Bud Black wasn't expected to get a full report until sometime after the Padres' game against the Giants on Monday. ... The Padres were 14-4 against the Giants last season, including a 6-3 mark at AT&T Park.

SAN FRANCISCO -- This is April at AT&T Park; the chilled wind swirling, the cold air cutting and, for the Padres Tuesday, enough missed opportunities to leave them stinging.

"It was cold and windy and uncomfortable to be out there," Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said.

Cold, windy and largely unproductive, at least offensively, for the Padres who fell, 3-2, in 11 innings to the Giants before a crowd of 35,795 that reveled in Bengie Molina's game-winning home run.

The Padres (5-4) might have had that winning feeling themselves if not for stranding 13 runners on base and a baserunning mistake, as well as going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position, which overshadowed about anything they did right.

"We just couldn't put it together on the offensive side," said Gonzalez, who had two hits to raise his average to .342.

Actually, the Padres came up with a run Tuesday when they absolutely needed to, as they trailed 2-1 going to the ninth inning.

That's when Josh Bard walked and was replaced by pinch-runner Colt Morton, who was recalled earlier in the day from Double-A San Antonio to replace Michael Barrett, who will miss up to two months with a sprained right elbow.

Tony Clark's pinch-hit double down the left-field line sent Morton to third base, where he stayed until Brian Giles knocked him in with a sacrifice fly.

The Padres survived a wild top of the 10th inning, as reliever Cla Meredith allowed a hit to Eugenio Velez to start the inning. The speedy Velez then promptly stole second base, putting the winning run in scoring position with no outs.

But that threat ended just about as quickly as it started when Randy Winn bounced a ball to Gonzalez, who stepped on first base and fired a throw to third to get Velez, who tried to advance on the play.

"That's an unbelievable play," said Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, who was on the receiving end of the throw. "That play happened so fast. But if the ball is hit hard enough, I know he has a strong enough arm to make that throw."

Kouzmanoff was involved in a strange play in the sixth inning that likely cost the Padres a run.

Gonzalez and Kouzmanoff opened the inning with singles off Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum, who allowed one run in six innings with seven strikeouts, brandishing a nasty changeup to go along with his mid-90s fastball.

Lincecum then hit Jim Edmonds with a pitch to load the bases. Khalil Greene then lifted a fly ball to left field that sent Daniel Ortmeier backpedaling toward the wall. The hit went in and out of Ortmeier's glove as a run scored to cut the Giants' lead to 2-1.

But Kouzmanoff, who was on second base, thought Ortmeier made the catch. The Giants (2-6) got the ball back into the infield and got a forceout on Kouzmanoff at third base for the first out. Lincecum then got the next two hitters out to end the inning.

"I saw it go into his glove and I immediately went back to tag up," Kouzmanoff said. "I saw Edmonds at second base. I don't know what happened."

Neither did Padres manager Bud Black, who said there was a division of opinion inside the dugout on whether Ortmeier made the catch.

"I thought that he caught it," Black said. "The guys on the bench were wondering what happened, too."

San Diego starting pitcher Randy Wolf allowed runs in the second and third innings but settled down thereafter, allowing two hits over his final three innings. Wolf allowed five hits with four strikeouts and one walk.

"His stuff was good ... six innings, only five hits, the one walk [to Brian Bocock in the third inning, which led to a run] I'm sure he'd like to have back," Black said. "He was efficient, his pitch count was down and I thought his assortment of pitches were solid."

One inning before Giles tied the game, the Padres threatened when Edmonds got on base with a single and stole second base. The threat ended there as Giants reliever Tyler Walker struck out Greene and Scott Hairston to end the inning.

Hairston attempted to check his swing, but home-plate umpire Tim Timmons said he went around. Hairston argued a little too long for Timmons' liking and was ejected. The Padres put rookie Callix Crabbe in left and he got his first Major League hit in the 10th inning.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Justin Germano said that he "didn't feel that sharp" in his first start of the season against the Dodgers on Friday.

If that's the case, the Padres will certainly hope Germano is equally as rusty when he gets the start in the series finale Wednesday against the Giants.

While the Padres' hitters were being tied in knots by Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, Germano -- the No. 5 starter in the San Diego rotation -- opened with a strong outing, though he didn't always feel like he had his best stuff.

Germano held the Dodgers to one unearned run on three hits over six innings. He struck out three, walked two and left trailing, 1-0.

Germano got some mileage out of his changeup, a pitch he's worked to refine since the start of Spring Training. He was also able to mix in his big curveball and spot his fastball for strikes.

"Justin did a good job," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Overall, he made some key pitches along the way. It was a carryover from the Spring Training he had."

Germano won the No. 5 spot in the rotation by pitching well in just about every outing during Spring Training. Overall, he was 0-1 with a 3.65 ERA and led the team with 24 2/3 innings.

Pitching matchup
SD: RHP Justin Germano (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Germano went up against Japanese pitcher Hiroki Kuroda in Friday's start against the Dodgers by nearly matching Kuroda pitch-for-pitch in his first start of the season. Germano followed up a strong spring by allowed just one run over six innings with three strikeouts. He had two walks and got eight outs on the ground and seven in the air. He even got the first hit of the game off Kuroda, a third-inning single.

SF: LHP Jonathan Sanchez (0-1, 15.75 ERA)
Sanchez struck out a career-high eight last Friday at Milwaukee in his 2008 debut. But not much else went right for the 25-year-old, who allowed a pair of Bill Hall home runs while yielding seven runs in four-plus innings. The strikeouts did reflect Sanchez's potential for making hitters look sick when he can maintain command of his darting fastball. He owns a 3.12 ERA in seven career relief appearances against San Diego.

Tidbits
The Padres will get their first day off of the season Thursday before facing the Dodgers in Los Angeles beginning Thursday. Oddly enough, they'll get another day off Monday before starting their series at PETCO Park against the Rockies. ... With his four hits and four runs scored Monday, Adrian Gonzalez matched career highs in both. Gonzalez last had four hits in a game on Aug. 24 of last season against the Phillies and last scored four runs on June 17 of last season against the Cubs. ... Kevin Kouzmanoff has hit safely in eight of the Padres' first nine games, a far cry from his slow start last season. ... Outfielder Jody Gerut, who was optioned to Triple-A Portland on Saturday, went 1-for-4 with a double on Monday. Outfielder Will Venable had three hits and two RBIs.

5th Inning:
2nd and 3rd, No Outs and Bard is up there flailing like he has never seen a big league pitch before. He was swinging at junk and damn near fell down on the whiff of a 3rd strike at his ankles.

5th Inning:
2nd and 3rd, No Outs and Bard is up there flailing like he has never seen a big league pitch before. He was swinging at junk and damn near fell down on the whiff of a 3rd strike at his ankles.

Then the pitcher....

Then Giles...

Turned it off at that point.

Way too many LOBs in this series.

Oh and the giants were 3 for 4 in SBs last night. That is pathetic.

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same song as last year. What really hurts is that we have the best pitching in the league! But we make the opposing pitcher look like Cy f'n Young every fricking night!

SAN FRANCISCO -- Ten games certainly do not make a season, which might be the lone comforting consideration the Padres will take into the off-day on Thursday, a respite from the grind that probably couldn't have come at a better time.

"We're playing better than we are," Padres reliever Heath Bell said. "I feel we are a lot better than a .500 team."

But that's exactly where the Padres sit after 10 games. For the second time in as many games, they wasted numerous offensive opportunities, thus wasting a fine performance by pitcher Justin Germano as the Giants scored a run in the ninth inning for a 1-0 victory over the Padres on Wednesday at AT&T Park.

Germano's seven shutout innings weren't forgotten, though they were overlooked after a fitful night offensively, as the Padres (5-5) struck out 12 times and were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

Bell gave up the winning run in the ninth inning, bringing the Padres' bullpen's loss total to five, as Dan Ortmeier's double over the head of Jim Edmonds in center field knocked in the winning run.

For Ortmeier, who earlier this week decided to give up switch-hitting, it was his first at-bat as a right-handed batter against a right-handed pitcher since his freshman year at the University of Texas-Arlington in 2000.

"I thought that when he hit it, Jimmy was going to go back and catch it on the [warning] track," Bell said of the curveball that stayed up in the strike zone.

Ortmeier's hit brought in the only run of the game, though it's not like the Padres didn't have their chances to score.

The Padres looked to be on the verge of pushing across the first run of the game several times before Ortmeier entered the game in the seventh inning.

The Padres chased Jonathan Sanchez in the seventh inning after Jim Edmonds and Khalil Greene reached base with singles to start the inning. Relief pitcher Merkin Valdez came into the game in time to retire Scott Hairston, who bunted the runners to second and third base.

Josh Bard then lifted a fly ball the other way down the left-field line as Fred Lewis made a running grab, all while trying to prevent himself from stumbling on the bullpen mound. If that wasn't enough, Lewis fired the ball home in time to nab Edmonds at the plate.

"That was a great play," Padres manager Bud Black said. "On the run, where he caught it backhanded below his waist and to throw a two-hopper to the plate ... that was a fantastic play."

But there was more.

With one out in the eighth inning, Brian Giles reached on a walk and went to second base when Tadahito Iguchi dumped a single into shallow center field. But the inning ended as Adrian Gonzalez, the Padres' hottest hitter, bounced into a 6-4-3 double play.

"Overall, they're [Padres hitters] not happy with the results, but I don't see any sign of frustration," Black said. "These guys are trying like hell. It just didn't happen tonight."

For the second time in as many starts this season, Germano left a start feeling a little bit upstaged -- although not by much -- by the opposing pitcher.

It was Dodgers' newcomer Hiroki Kuroda who handcuffed the Padres to the tune of one run over seven innings on April 4 while Germano allowed one unearned run over six innings. On Wednesday, Sanchez allowed one hit over the first six innings.

Germano tossed seven shutout innings, tying the longest outing of his career. And he was thrifty, needing 83 pitches to get through the seventh. All told, Germano walked just one batter and had three strikeouts.

Germano threw five pitches in the fourth inning and eight in the sixth inning, getting the Giants out in front of his developing changeup and his curveball.

"It's a big part of the game, staying consistent and executing pitches," said Germano, who hasn't allowed a run in 13 innings yet doesn't have a victory to show for it. "I'm confident in all my pitches."